The Ramen Restaurant
by XFangHeartX
Summary: While he's out picking up dinner, Inuyasha forgets the one rule of fatherhood: let your kids be kids. Rated T due to implied sexual innuendos. InuKag. Read and review, and no flames or hate, please!


The Ramen Restaurant

An Inuyasha Modern AU Story

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Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Story and OCs © Me

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Summary- While he's out picking up dinner, Inuyasha forgets the one rule of fatherhood: let your kids be kids.

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It was at about 7:30 PM when Inuyasha pulled up in his red pickup to his favorite ramen restaurant in town. He was lucky to even find a damn parking space out in front. He had a long day at work and didn't really feel like cooking anything. Kagome was back at home with the twins and Ichiro's Akita, Riki, waiting for that really spicy ramen that she always ordered from this place.

Why his sweet, sassy (and not to mention drop-dead sexy) wife ever liked spicy foods, he'd never know...but he supposed that not all women had the same tastes as he did.

As Inuyasha came out of the driver's seat with his silvery-white hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing his white shirt, black leather jacket, and blue jeans that were ripped at the knees, Ichiro, almost 14, jumped out of the passenger seat to his left. The boy had on his favorite cool gray hoodie with dark blue baggy pants, humming a bit to himself as he texted Tsukihime about how he sucked at the geometry test that he and his class took earlier that week.

As Inuyasha opened the back door, Yamako, wearing his dark green jacket, blue shorts, and his little dark red shoes that he loved to wear, came leaping out of the car, forcing his father to catch him. Sanka, wearing her cute little pink sweater, red skirt, and blue boots, came jumping out after her brother. Soon, the 7 and 5 1/2-year-olds ran to the restaurant.

"Hey, hold it!" Inuyasha called, getting his younger son's and daughter's attention. "Not so fast you two. I only let you come along because you asked, but you need to be on your best behavior while we're in here, you understand me?"

"Okay, Dad," Yamako nodded.

"Yes, Daddy!" Sanka answered.

"And Ichi?" Inuyasha asked his oldest son, who glanced at him. "Make sure you watch your brother and sister, all right? Don't spend the whole time we're with your eyes on your phone."

"Sure thing, Dad," Ichiro replied as he texted Tsukihime that he'd call her when he got back home.

"Good," Inuyasha nodded as he headed inside the restaurant with his kids. When he entered, the smells of the food from within immediately wafted into his nose. God, everything smelled so damn good, right now. He could smell chicken karaage already being fried, the pork belly slices that were being delicately placed in the soup, the buttery smell of the broth...hell, he could smell the noodles!

"You kids wait right here," Inuyasha told his kids as he pointed an empty booth, where the kids all sat down to wait as he walked up to the counter. "Hi, I'm Inuyasha Taisho. I'm here to pick up my order."

"Of course, sir," said the cashier lady, bowing her head politely as she went to the back to pick up the food, which she retrieved in no time at all. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Inuyasha replied as he went back to check on his kids...only to see Yamako and Sanka trying to push each out of the booth while Ichiro just continued to stare at his phone.

"Stop it, Yama!" Sanka shouted.

"You stop it, San!" Yamako argued.

"Hey!" Inuyasha barked, immediately putting an end to their squabbling. "I said to be on your best behavior!" He then cast his glare at Ichiro, who looked up at him. "And I told you to watch your brother and sister!"

"I was just looking at my e-mails, Dad," Ichiro rebuked, causing Inuyasha to groan.

"Well, at least I got the..." he started as he looked inside the plastic bag, but then trailed off as he noticed something. "What the hell...? Where's the karaage?!" He sighed as he took the bag back to the counter while pointing at the kids. "You two, stay!"

Yamako and Sanka both blinked as they watched their dad head back to the counter...then grinned before they started to squabble over the seat, again. Ichiro groaned as he put his phone in his pocket.

"Hey, come on, you guys, knock it off!" he ordered. "This a restaurant, not the playground!"

"Oof!" Sanka grunted as she fell to the floor, then glared at her older brother before she blew a raspberry at him, causing him to blow one back before they started to laugh, again. At that moment, Inuyasha returned with the bag, which he set on the table.

"Five more- San, get off the floor!" he demanded, prompting her to climb back up into the booth. "Five more minutes, you guys. They're just now making the karaage." He then pulled out his phone and tapped on Kagome's name, which was on speed dial, then put her on speaker.

**"Hey, baby, what's going on?"** asked the melodious voice of his wife.

"They forgot the karaage!" Yamako and Sanka both exclaimed.

"Yeah, Dad had to go back and ask for it," Ichiro added.

**"Ha! Your dad and chicken karaage!"** Kagome laughed.

"They're just cooking it, now," Inuyasha said.

**"Forget it, 'Yash. The kids must be starving."**

"Hey, I ordered karaage and I'm not leaving without it. Kids, say bye to your mother."

"Bye, Mom!" Yamako called.

"Bye, Mommy!" Sanka piped.

"See ya when we get home, Mom," said Ichiro.

**"Well, good luck, guys,"** Kagome replied. **"I'll be here with Izayoi and Usagi-"** She was suddenly heard gasping. **"Riki, no! Bad dog! Let go of the toilet paper!"**

On that, she hung up.

"Daddy?" Sanka asked. "How long is five minutes?"

"Uh...it's about as long as one episode of _Adventures of Kitty-Chan_," Inuyasha answered.

"Oh," Sanka muttered. "What should we play until then?"

"We're gonna play the Quiet Game for a while," Inuyasha replied. "That's where you sit quietly and not move for five minutes."

"...That doesn't sound fun," Sanka pouted.

"Dad, I'm thirsty," Yamako piped up as he glanced over at a nearby vending machine. "Can I have a soda?"

"You've had enough sugar this week, bud," Inuyasha replied. "If you're thirsty, there's a drinking fountain by the bathroom."

Yamako grinned before he headed over to the aforementioned drinking fountain adjacent to the unisex washrooms. Unfortunately, it seemed he was a bit too short to reach it on his own.

"Dad!" he called. "Can you help me?"

"Ichiro, go help your brother," Inuyasha said, causing Ichiro to sigh as he got up, walked over to the fountain, and lifted his younger brother up so that he could press the button and drink from the waterspout.

"You thirsty, too, San?" asked Inuyasha.

"No, thank you, Daddy," Sanka replied while kicking her legs back and forth.

"Okay, Yama's had his drink," Ichiro replied as he came back and sat his little brother back down in the booth.

"...Daddy?" Sanka asked. "I'm thirsty, now."

"What?!" Inuyasha questioned in disbelief. "But San I just asked if you were..." He then groaned. "Never mind..." He then hoisted her under his armpit and carried her to the water fountain, next. While his sister was getting her drink, Yamako noticed the chopsticks that were wrapped up in paper, causing him to grin as he took them out of the cup, open them, break them apart, and then he carefully placed them under his lips.

"Hey, Ichi!" Yamako called, causing his older brother to lazily turn his head his way. "Look! I'm a walrus!" He then made tried to make the grunting walrus sounds, even clapping his hands like they were flippers, which caused Ichiro to chuckle.

"Okay, that's kinda funny," he said.

"Yama!" Inuyasha chided, causing the 7-year-old to wince as he turned to his father. "No playing with the chopsticks!"

"I was just pretending to be a walrus," Yamako replied as he pulled the chopsticks out from under his lip.

"No walruses in the restaurant," Inuyasha said as he plopped Sanka into the booth, then went to sit down, himself. "Jeez, these five minutes are taking forever."

"Daddy?" Sanka asked.

"Yes, bugga-bug?" Inuyasha replied.

"Was Grandma ever a baby?" Sanka asked.

"Grandma Izayoi or Grandma Atsuko?" Inuyasha inquired.

"They were both babies," Ichiro answered in annoyance while he looked at his phone. "What's it matter?"

"Do Grandma Izayoi and Grandma Atsuko have grandmas, too?" asked Sanka.

"Uhh...I dunno," Inuyasha replied, but then he noticed Yamako standing up in the booth, looking over the side. "Yama, what are you doing?!"

"There's a lady with a baby hanging from her chest," Yamako said.

"Don't stare!" Inuyasha scolded, his face flushing a bright red. "It's rude! Sit back down!"

Yamako soon did as his father commanded, just as Ichiro got up.

"I'm gonna get a soda," the teenage quarter-demon said as he went to the vending machine.

"Sure thing, pal," Inuyasha replied.

"Hey!" Yamako complained. "How come Ichi gets to have a soda and I can't?!"

"Because Ichi's older than you are!" Inuyasha argued.

"But that's not fair!" Yamako whined.

"Deal with it!" Inuyasha growled as he got up. "I gotta check on the karaage. Don't either of you move!"

With that, he walked up to the counter while Yamako sat and pouted with his arms crossed, just as Ichiro came back with his bottle of A&W, which he guzzled as he sat down.

"Ah..." he sighed in satisfaction before he let out a resounding belch, which caused his father to glance back at him with a glare so intense, it looked like he could bore a hole through his skull, which caused the adolescent to smile, sheepishly. "Uh...excuse me...?"

Inuyasha sighed as he went to sit back down. Apparently, the karaage was taking just a bit longer than he thought. He couldn't help but notice the subtle but not so gentle glares coming from the other patrons, but a quick snarl caused them to look away. Dammit, he hated it when people judged him like that. Right now, he just wanted to go home and _eat_. As he reached the booth, he noticed that his daughter was nowhere to be found.

"Where's your sister?!" he asked, almost frantically.

"What are you watching, mister?" asked a familiar voice, causing Inuyasha to turn and see his daughter looking over the arm of a man in a business wearing glasses while talking to a woman on his phone...a woman who was rather scantily clad in a red lace babydoll, he noticed.

"San!" Inuyasha shouted as he ran over and grabbed her, hoisting her under his armpit, once again. "What are you doing?!"

"I thought he was watching cartoons!" Sanka answered.

"Do you mind?" asked the stranger, causing Inuyasha to grin.

"I'm sorry about that, sir," Inuyasha replied. "I'm having a bit of trouble reining in my kids, tonight." He then gently folded Sanka's floppy ears down so that she wouldn't hear. "By the way, love the lingerie. My wife has one just like that."

"Get outta here!" the man shouted.

"Right, got it! Gonna go!" Inuyasha replied as he headed back to the booth, only to see Yamako fanning his mouth...and the contents of his wife's spicy ramen spilled on the table. "What the hell happened here?!"

"He got hungry and took a bite outta Mom's food," Ichiro answered. "I tried to stop him!"

"Spicy! Too spicy!" Yamako cried.

"Okay, okay, come here, bud!" Inuyasha quickly grabbed the 7-year-old and carried him to the water fountain, where he promptly took a drink. "There you go. That better?"

"Yeah, all better," Yamako replied.

"Good," Inuyasha sighed as he turned to sit back down, mentally praying that this would be the last of these shenanigans...but of course, it ended up being wishful thinking on his part.

"Uh...Dad?" asked Yamako. "I gotta pee."

"Now?!" Inuyasha questioned before he looked to the washroom, only to see at least 7 people in front of it with two more joining the queue. "Oh, for fu- I mean, for freak's sake...!" He glanced down at his younger son. "Yama, you think you can hold it until we get home?!"

"I don't think so," Yamako shook his head.

"Oh, man!" Inuyasha groaned as he looked outside the window and sighed in resignation. "I guess there's no choice..."

Not a moment later, he was squatting down in front of a bush in the parking lot, holding Yamako as the boy relieved himself.

"You almost done there, bud?" Inuyasha asked.

"Almost," Yamako answered.

As he did, a woman of at least 50 years came walking by before she gasped at the display, causing Inuyasha to shoot a deadly glare at her.

"Yeah, my kid's takin' a piss in a bush!" he spat. "Move along, lady!"

"Why, I never!" the old bat exclaimed in shock before she walked along.

"All done!" Yamako replied as he zipped up his fly, causing Inuyasha to sigh.

God, he wished these people would hurry up with his chicken karaage so he could go home, eat, and then flop down on the bed next to his wife.

After going back inside and getting some new (and thankfully, free) spicy tonkotsu ramen, Inuyasha sat back down and gave a very long groan.

"Daddy?" Sanka asked.

"Yes, honey?" Inuyasha asked.

"Was Grandpa Toga ever a baby?" Sanka asked, causing her dad to sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Mr. Taisho?" asked the cashier as she approached him.

"Yes?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "The chicken karaage is taking a little longer than we thought. It'll be about five more minutes."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide. Five more minutes...that meant five more minutes of making futile attempts to keep his crazy kids to sit still and behave themselves.

No. Way. In hell.

"You know what?" Inuyasha asked as he stood up. "It's fine. Thanks, anyway." He then gave her some yen notes. "Here. This is to make up for the mess my 7-year-old made on the table."

XXX

It was almost 8 PM when Kagome heard her husband's pickup truck pull up to the driveway. Riki, the red Akita Inu that was lying at the bottom of the stairs, barked as he ran to the door, eager for his master to enter. Kagome chuckled as she got up to open the door while Izayoi and Usagi sat on the couch, both of them quietly watching cartoons on the TV.

Ichiro was the first to enter, only to immediately get tackled by Riki and bombarded with slobbery doggy kisses. The teenager laughed as he pushed his pet off, then wiped off his face and went to wash his hands in the kitchen. Yamako and Sanka came in next, both of them giving their mother a kiss on each cheek before they went to wash their hands, next. Finally, trudging in through the door as if he was in an episode of _The Walking Dead_, came Inuyasha who groaned as he set the bag on the table and slumped in a chair, to Kagome's concern.

"Hey, everything okay?" asked Kagome as she went over and rubbed his shoulders.

"...I can't get a break, can I, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"What happened?" Kagome inquired, and soon, she was given a fully-detailed story about what transpired at the restaurant, from Ichiro constantly looking at his phone, to Yamako watching a woman nursing her baby, Sanka constantly asking questions and how she disturbed a man who was watching his wife stripping her clothes on his phone (why he even had it set to the video chat, he'll never know), then Yamako taking a bite out of Kagome's food and spilling it on the table, then having to take a leak outside in the parking lot, the other patrons in the restaurant giving him these judgmental looks, and finally in his exhaustion, Inuyasha ultimately chose to forgo the karaage because he was just wanted to get home, eat, and sleep.

"And now here we are," Inuyasha said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, sweetie," Kagome said as she rubbed his shoulders, causing her husband to give off this pleasant rumble that she loved hearing and feeling. She then wrapped both arms around him and rubbed at his fuzzy ears, which caused him to sigh.

"Thanks, Kagome," he whispered.

"No problem," Kagome said before she sat down beside him. "Look, Inuyasha...I know it's tough. I know that kids can be rambunctious and restless and hyper and sometimes, you can't keep their attention for more than 2 seconds and yeah, people are gonna look at you like they know how to do a better job at keeping their kids in line...but lemme ask you this: if you could change anything..._anything _about our kids...would you have them change?"

A pause...but then Inuyasha suddenly snorted.

"...You know what?" he asked. "No...I wouldn't change our kids for anything. I mean...they're hyperactive and curious and...they're always so silly. I remember when Ichi was Yama's age and he'd always act such a little goofball...but now that he's 13, he just sits in his room, listening to his music and talks with his friends on the phone." He heaved a quiet sigh. "Ichiro's maturing but...Yama, San...Izzy and Usagi...they're still kids."

"And they should be able to enjoy their childhood," Kagome added, just as Izayoi and Usagi came toddling into the dining room, causing their father to chuckle as he picked them both up and kissed them on their chubby cheeks, which caused the twins to giggle and squeal.

"We wove you, Daddy," said Izayoi.

"I love you, too," Inuyasha smiled.

"Daddy?"

Inuyasha and Kagome both turned to see Ichiro, who had Riki by his side, Yamako, and Sanka, the latter two blinking at their father with somewhat worried expressions.

"You're not mad at us...are you, Dad?" asked Yamako.

"We're sorry we didn't do what you told us to do," Sanka answered while twiddling her fingers, causing Inuyasha to sigh as he handed the twins to Kagome, then went up and gently ruffled his younger son and daughter's hair, causing them both to laugh.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," said Inuyasha. "You guys are still kids, you know? You're not perfect...and neither am I."

"But we still love you!" Sanka said.

"Aww...I love you guys, too," Inuyasha said as he hugged her and Yamako while Ichiro smiled.

"Well, this food's not gonna eat itself," Kagome said as she began to set the table. "Let's eat, everybody!"

"Yeah!" Yamako and Sanka cheered as they all sat down to eat. As they did, Yamako took the opportunity to show his mother his "Chopstick Walrus" impression, which caused her, his sisters, and his older brother to laugh...and Inuyasha could only smile, lovingly.

"...I love my kids," he whispered.

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This was fun. ^^

Review, please!


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